“You made the mess, you clean it up” - Stephen A. Smith says LeBron James doesn’t get to sit down for the remainder as the Lakers roster is primarily his responsibility
The LA Lakers lost their ninth straight road game, falling 139-130 in overtime Wednesday night against the Houston Rockets. And perhaps it's time for LeBron James to take things a tad slower for the rest of the season. He continues to log huge minutes in what has been a futile attempt to rescue the team.
Despite having a busy offseason and bringing in elite-level talents who could fuel a championship run, the Lakers (28-37) have been grossly underperforming. The old roster is having trouble staying in front of opposing players.
With no hope of a bounceback this late in the season, many are calling for James to rest and plan for next season, but sports analyst Stephen A. Smith is against it.
The TV personality believes that the makeup of the team is largely based on James' influence, so he needs to continue to fight to fix things. When asked if James should shut down his season, Smith said:
"Hell, no! You made the mess, you clean it up, or you die trying, figuratively speaking, of course. That's what you do. Russell Westbrook has not worked in Los Angeles.
"You had an opportunity to get DeMar DeRozan. You didn't push for it. You had an opportunity to get Buddy Hield. You didn't push for it."
After going off about how Anthony Davis also gets a bit lax during the offseason despite being an elite athlete, Smith continued:
"When you look at the Los Angeles Lakers, the accumulation of the talent or lack thereof that they may or may not have in some people's eyes, is primarily – not solely – but primarily the responsibility of LeBron James."
Although it is unlikely James would willingly sit out without being injured, perhaps it is time they considered reducing his minutes significantly. The 37-year-old already has a lot of mileage on his body and will not be at his best if he continues to push through.
LeBron James and the LA Lakers could miss the play-in tournament
The LA Lakers are 7-18 since Jan. 9 and 1-6 since the All-Star break. They haven't won back-to-back games since Jan. 7, the last game of a season-best four-game winning streak. That is not the type of play expected from a team fighting to make the postseason.
With the way the team is playing, even if they manage to make it to the playoffs, they do not look like they could better any team in a seven-game series.
Houston Rockets beat "the team from Southern California" 130-139 in overtime. 👀
Jalen Green scored a new career-high 32 points in the win.
While LeBron James recorded a 23 PTS, 14 REB, 12 AST triple double but couldn't carry the Lakers to the W. 👀
#houstonrockets #lakers https://t.co/ZY6Tje20LT
The team is fighting dearly to stay in the top10 of the Western Conference. But the Lakers are not putting up much of a fight on the hardwood. Their body language more often than not suggests they have given up.
Regardless of how poorly the Lakers have been, LeBron James is having a monster season, averaging 29.3 points (third-best in the league), 8.2 rebounds and 6.3 assists. Missing the playoffs will be a disaster, but they have 17 games to right the ship.